Soap holder



y 1949. G. c. HELIOTE 2,475,500

SOAP HOLDER Filed March 15, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Georye CHZ/IOZZ July 5, 1949. G. c. HELIOTE 2,475,500

SOAP HQL'DER Filed March 13, 1946 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z4 INVENTOR. IGeorge C. fi/[oze Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICESOAP HOLDER George C. Heliote, Oakland, Calif.

Application March 13, 1946, Serial No. 654,126

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to receptacles for receiving and supporting barsof soap between periods of use of the latter.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed which effects conservation of the soap in a cake thereof byhastening drainage and evaporation of surface water which may beadhering thereto following each period of use of the cake.

Another object of the invention is to provide a soap holder in which thecake of soap, irrespective of its state of consumption, is engaged at aplurality of points which total a very small area of contact with thesupport members of the holder so as to effect exposure of as large asurface area as possible of the cake to drainage and to the dryingaction of the ambient air.

A further object of the invention is to provide a soap holder designedto eliminate sharp corners, crevices or comparatively inaccessiblepockets in which evaporated soap solution may collect and which mightinterfere with ready and thorough cleaning of the device.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a soap holderconstructed of comparatively unbreakable highly transparent materialwhich, by permitting a substantially unobstructed view through thedevice of underlying or adjacent colored surfaces, effects a materialreduction in conspicuity of the device.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. Itis to be understood, however, that variations in the showin made by thesaid drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a soap holder comprising the preferredembodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the soap holder ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of soap holder.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the soap holder ofFigure 3.

In carrying out my invention and with reference to Figure 1, I provide aunitary device constructed of moldable plastic material, preferably thetransparent variety commonly known to the trade as Lucite, comprising abase 6 of any suitable geometric form, in this case an ellipse,

having a centrally disposed protuberance l rising therefrom and providedwith a raised peripheral rim 8 which, in conjunction with theprotuberance l defines, in the upper face of the base, an annular well9. Rising from the protuberance I is a plurality of angularly relatedstems II each of which, at its upper end, terminates in an integral wingl2 extending outwardly in a generally horizontal direction to a positionsubstantially perpendicularly above the periphery of the base. The upperedge of each wing l2, which is comparatively narrow in relation to itslength, is provided with an entrant curve I3 descending from the outerend of the wing toward and to intersect the vertical central axis of thebase in common focus with the curved surfaces of the other wings. Thiscorrelation of the surfaces l3 forms in the top of the holder a recessedreceptacle in which a cake of soap may be placed so as to rest at aplurality of spaced points on the bottom surface thereof against therespective wings. When the cake is in a wet condition and is placed onthe holder, water in excess of that which is absorbed by surfaceportions of the soap will drip from the cake and will be received in thewell 9 from where it, together with the slight amount of dissolved soapcarried thereby, may be periodically removed by dumping the contents ofthe well into the wash basin and by removing the accumulated soap stainsby holding the device under a stream of running water. It will be seenthat the wet cake will be so held, at its minimized-area contact pointswith the holder, that a maximum surface area of the cake will be exposedto the drying action of the ambient air thus hastening the evaporationboth of surface water and that which has been absorbed by the soap.There is therefore little chance for surface jelly to form or remain onthe cake which will be Washed therefrom during the subsequent use of thecake with the attendant wastage of the soap.

The modification of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 is intendedfor use on surfaces which are to be protected against contact with thesoap solution which may drain from the cake. In Figures 3 and 4 I haveshown a modified form of the invention intended for use with a washbasin or with any other such device having a drainage surface or ductsloping toward or into a Waste conduit or hopper. In this device, thebase M is provided with a peripheral rim I6 and with a central openingI! towards which the upper surface N3 of the base slopes downwardly thuscausing any fluid which may fall on the latter surface to flow into theopening IT. A concavity [9 formed in the bottom surface of the base andextending beyond the borders of the opening produces a vertically narrowperimetral ledge around the opening from which fluid may drop directlyonto the surface on which the soap holder may be supported. Formedintegrally with the base l4 and rising from the surfaces "3 thereof is aplurality of relatively thin wings 2| extending from points immediatelywithin the peripheral rim I6 of the base and terminating in relativelyspaced relation near the center of the base and with a substantialportion thereof overlying the opening I1. Each of the wings, as in thepreviously described form of the invention, is provided with adownwardly and inwardly curving upper surface 23 which cooperates withthe similar surfaces of the other wings to provide a depressedreceptacle in which a cake of soap may be placed. As previouslyexplained, drippings from the wet cake may either fall directly throughthe opening I! onto the subjacent drain surface or will be interceptedby the surfaces l8 which will conduct the drippings into the openingvents, comprising grooves 24 formed in the bottom surface of the baseand opening into the concavity IQ of the latter, are provided forpermitting escape of the fluid from the holder so that it may flow intothe basin or other drain device with which the holder may be associated.As in the previously disclosed form of the invention, the cake of soaprests on the wings 2| at a plurality of dispersed points ofcomparatively small contact area which serves to expose a maximumsurface of the cake to the drying action of the surrounding air andthereby prevents formation on the cake of softened surface areas whichmay be wastefully washed away during succeeding usage of the soap.

The material used in the construction of the holders of my inventionlends a definite advantage thereto. It has been found that when theholders are made of moldable plastic material possessing a high degreeof transparency, such as the substance commercially known as Lucite, thefact that an observer may clearly view, through the holder, theunderlying surface on which the holder may be resting, renders theholder highly inconspicuous and seemingly reduces its overall bulk.

Iclaim:

1. A soap holder comprising a base, an upper surface sloping inwardlyand downwardly, a plurality of wing members formed integrally with andrising vertically from said base, said wing members being disposed incruciform arrangement on said base, and each of said wing membersfurther having thereon a curved upper surface rising upwardly from apoint adjacent the center of said base and extending along said wingmember to the outer end thereof, said upper curved surfaces of said Wingmembers being of convex and concave curves which are connected to eachother, said concave curved surface of each wing member being cooperativewith the concave curved surfaces of the other wing members to form arecess in which a cake of soap may be placed to rest at a point on eachcurved surface.

2. A soap holder comprising a. base, an upper surface sloping inwardlyand downwardly, a plurality of wing members formed integrally with andrising vertically from said base, said wing members being disposed incruciform arrangement on Said base, and each of said wing membersfurther having thereon a curved upper surface rising upwardly from apoint adjacent the center of said base and extending along said wingmember to the outer end thereof, said upper curved surfaces of said wingmembers being of convex and concave curves which are connected to eachother, said concave curved surface of each wing member being cooperativewith the concave curved surfaces of the other wing members to form arecess in which a cake of soap may be placed to rest at a point on eachcurved surface, said base having a central opening therein, the convexsurfaces of said wing members overlying said openings.

GEORGE C. HELIOTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,643,450 Heloian Sept. 27, 1927FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,356 Great Britain 1899 246,394Italy Mar. 22, 1926 740,225 France Nov. 12, 1932

